Description

Abraham Lincoln: Highly Coveted Wide Awake Hat Badge. DeWitt
AL-1860-1, 70 mm. silvered brass shell. Manufactured by Childs of
Chicago, matching the bust seen on the Lincoln medal AL-1860-10. It
features a raised bust "Abraham Lincoln 1860" facing right with the
words "Wide Awake" in bold letters above. The verso has a set of
folding tabs or flanges used in its attachment. These were worn on
the hats of Wide Awake marchers. Besides the example in the DeWitt
Collection, we are aware of one in a private Midwestern collection
and another which was included in the Zabriskie Collection sold in
1999. That example, heavily tarnished, sold for $12,100. Heritage
sold a circular version of this in 2013 for $9,560. This example
has some light tarnish, concentrated mostly in the "points", but
retains a good deal of its original luster and is remarkably
well-preserved. Certainly, one of the highlights (among many!) of
the Berman Collection.

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David Greenburg,Chicago, IL